4th Tuesday of the month 7:00 p.m. Church Council – Upper Club Room (back in September)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Emergency Appeal:
The United Church works with
several churches and agencies
throughout the Caribbean region.
Our membership in the global ACT
Alliance will provide multiple ways
that the church can assist people
affected by Hurricane Irma.
ACT
members are organized in various
regional and national forums
(including the Dominican Republic,
Haiti, and Cuba) that are working quickly to assist with evacuations and
emergency shelter where necessary, and to plan the post-storm response.
In addition, the United Church will assist bilateral partners such as the
region-wide Methodist Church of the Caribbean and the Americas
(MCCA), the Cuban Council of Churches, and the Karl Leveque Cultural
Institute in Haiti as they organize their responses.
If you would like to contribute to this Appeal, place your cheque on
the offering plate made out to Bloor Street United Church with “Hurricane
Irma” on the memo line. Or you may drop it off at the main office, or place
it in the mailbox on the courtyard door after hours.

WELCOMING CITY SHUL to their New Home at 300 Bloor Street West
We will formally welcome the City Shul congregation into their new
home at BSUC on Sunday, September 17th.We are also planning a Get-to-Know-You evening on Tuesday,
November 14th.

OPEN STREETS TO Bloor Street West will be closed to vehicular
traffic from
Grace/Christie to Sherbourne from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
on Sunday, September 17th for Open Streets TO. Side
streets, like Huron, will still be open to car traffic.

BOOK CLUBThe Book Club chose our reading for the next several months:
We welcome everyone who has read the book to our
lively discussions in the Board Room at 1:30 p.m. For
more information please contact Bob Farquharson, email: arfarquha@gmail.com.

Tuesday, October 3rd - The Break by Katherena Vermette. A gritty tale of the indigenous people of Winnipeg and on the res. Winner
of the Governor General's Award and a Canada Reads Book for 2017.Tuesday, November 7th - The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. As a community forester in Germany, Peter Wohlleben spent thirty years tending, and more importantly, emphatically observing trees. He
came to see them as social beings aware of family relationships and sensitive
to the needs of their arboreal community.Tuesday, December 5th - Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thein. Marie, a ten-year old in Vancouver, hears from her friend Ai-ming the story of three musicians who have to live through the Cultural Revolution in China while still staying true to their passion for music. Winner
of the Giller and shortlisted for the Man Booker.Tuesday, January 2nd - Life on the Ground: Letters from the Edge of Emergency Medicine by James Maskalyk. A
Canadian doctor relates with humour, compassion and dedication the stories
of his emergency room experiences in Toronto and Addis Ababa.
We welcome everyone who has read he book to our lively discussions in the Board
Room at 1:30 p.m. For more information email Bob Farquharson: arfarquha@gmail.com

LUNCH & BOARD GAMES – NABS
Sunday, September 17th from noon
to 2:00 p.m.
Join NABS after the service on Sunday in the Upper
Club Room for lunch and some board games! Relax,
enjoy some free food, and make some new friends!
Questions? Contact Emma Ceruti, NABS Coordinator email: NABSbloorstreet@gmail.com
or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nabsbloorstreet/

Fall Book Study, starting Wednesday Sept 20, 2:00 pm
“The headlines are clear: religion is on the decline
in America as many people leave behind
traditional religious practices. Diana Butler Bass,
leading commentator on religion, politics, and
culture, follows up her acclaimed book Christianity
After Religion [with Grounded] by arguing that
what appears to be a decline actually signals a
major transformation in how people understand
and experience God. The distant God of
conventional religion has given way to a more
intimate sense of the sacred that is with us in the
world.
This shift, from a vertical understanding of
God to a God found on the horizons of nature and
human community, is at the heart of a spiritual revolution that surrounds
us—and that is challenging not only religious institutions but political and
social ones as well.”
Come and join with others to discuss this interesting and readable
book. Wednesday 2-3:30 p.m. in the Board Room. Orders of the book are
being taken at the Information Table, the cost is $15. The book is also
available on Kobo and Kindle.

COVENANTING SERVICEMaya Brathwaite has sent an invitation to share in her
covenanting service on Sunday, September 24th at
2:00 p.m. at Queensville Holland Landing United Church (20453 Leslie
Street). Rev. Michael Blair is preaching. All are welcome!

“LIKE” US ON FACEBOOK!
Did you know we have our own Facebook page? Just go to Facebook.com.
In the “Search Facebook” box, type in Bloor Street United Church. You’re now at the home page of our Facebook site. Now click on the “like” box.
Check out the fascinating pictures, articles and other items posted by Stephen Milton.
Or just click following to go directly to our Facebook Page: Bloor Street United Church on Facebook

COURTYARD DOOR LOCKED AT 7 P.M. WEEKDAYS In an effort at security measures, we will be locking the courtyard door at 7:00 p.m. on weekdays. Please use the parking lot door off Huron as an entrance. If you are already in the building after that time, you can still use the courtyard door as an exit.

PARISH NURSINGNancy Gordon, Parish Nurse, RN holds free blood pressure clinics in the McClure Hall Lounge after worship on the second Sunday of the month. You may email nancy@bloorstreetunited.org or call and leave a confidential message at 416-924-7439, ext. 29.Are you interesd in learning Therapeutic Touch?
Therapeutic Touch (TT) is
a complementary therapy which brings relaxation, and helps to speed healing
and reduce the perception of pain. We have arranged for a
teacher to give us the “Level 1” training on Saturday,
November 4th (this course takes one day). The cost will
depend on how many sign up but we will have a pay-
what-you-can option as well. If you are interested in
taking TT or if you want more information, please speak
with Nancy Gordon or phone 416-924-7439, ext. 29 or email
nancy@bloorstreetunited.org

Picking Up Your HymnbooksAs we share our worship space, we are trying to be better ‘housemates’, and to that end we will be picking up our hymnbooks on the way in to service and dropping them off on the way out.
If
you use PAR
(pre-authorized remittance) to make your offering to BSUC and would like
to put a PAR card on the offering plate during worship, just pick one up in
the narthex, along with your hymnbook.
Thanks, Worship Committee

Assisted Listening SystemAssisted Listening System devices are available for sign-out at Sunday morning services. Please see the audio operator at the soundboard. They can be returned to the operator at the end of the service.

SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE

Feeding the Spirit: Neighbourhood Dinners at Bloor Street
United Church
Come
join us as we gather together
again for fall 2017’s Feeding the Spirit
dinners:
September 19th,
October
17th,
November 21st, and
December
12th.
The community will start
gathering at 6:00 p.m., with dinner
served at 6:30 p.m. We hope that this
will be a time for people to connect
with friends and get to know their
neighbours. In the spirit of
communion, all are welcome at this table. We hope you come to fill your
belly, and return for the friendship and enriching discussions. Please
contact Jennifer Gordon, via NABSbloorstreet@gmail.com if you have any
questions.

Choir Begins:
Come
lift your voices and your spirits. Our weekly rehearsals
take place on Thursdays at 7:30 in the Music Room. If you would
like more information, please contact David
Passmore, Director
of Music

Help us out! Audio Opportunity
Volunteers are needed to assist with our microphones and sound system for weekly
services. As a team member, you would be responible for an average of once
per month. Contact the Volunteer Coordinators - Pat McPhee (patmcphee@rogers.com)
and Mary Sanderson (sandcastle@idirect.com).

Sushi & Sandwiches (Change in Date)Conversation Hour hosted by Alpha Korean United Church. As a thank-you and farewell to the Bloor Street congregation from Alpha Korean United Church, Alpha Korean United will host Conversation Hour after worship on Sunday, September 24th with sushi and sandwiches for everyone!

Remake the Church - Change the WorldToronto Southeast Presbytery presents an event of disruption and new possibilities with Alan Roxburgh - priest, seminary professor and internationally respected consultant with more than 30 years experience leading congregational and system change. He is the founder of The Missional Network, a partnership of practitioners and academics who are discerning the shape of the church in changing contexts. Everyone is welcome on Saturday, October 28th. For more information, contact Anne Shirley Sutherland, Conference Minster for Healthy Communities of Faith at 416-241-2677, ext. 6252.

Call for 2019 PhotosWant to see your photos on United Church bulletin covers? The Bulletins, Communications Unit of the United Church of Canada is looking for your best photos of Canadian scenery and nature. Especially needed are symbols of special Sundays and church seasons. A photo credit will be printed on the bulletin cover and $100 will be paid for each photo used. Please go to https://unitedchurch.formstack.com/forms/bulletin_submission to use the online submission form or you can pick one up in the main office of Bloor Street United. Deadline for submissions is October 30, 2017.